Torquay & District
Medical Society

The weather has always been important to the people of Britain.

We don’t just talk about the weather ... we have been a major innovator in meteorological science - spurred by a need to improve safety.

Initially an aid to shipping in this maritime nation, forecasts are now an essential element in aviation and military planning.

In recent years, new products have been developed in services for health, covering spells of cold weather, guidance on exposure to potentially damaging ultra-violet radiation and for heat health warnings.

These go alongside more general public warnings about snow, ice, heavy rain and gales - all of which have implications for our health services.

Jim Galvin spent over 44 years in meteorology services.

He was an observer and weather forecaster with the Met Office at a series of military and public-service offices - including writing the Shipping Forecast.

After finishing his career at Jersey Met, Jim gained a master’s degree in Applied Meteorology from the University of Reading in 2000 and became a Chartered Meteorologist in 2008.

He was Honorary Photographic Editor of the RMetS journal Weather between 2000 and 2006, Editor of the NWP Gazette between 2001 and 2006 and Editor-in-Chief of Weather between 2014 and 2019.

Jim's fascinating talk will start with the history of meteorology, and the major steps in its development, before focussing on weather and health services now provided by many national meteorological services, not least the Met Office, here in the UK.